Child of Passion
by Rei10
Summary: A child of passion is brought into the world, amazing things begin to happen on her fifth birthday
1. Interupted

Tara slid up the bed to wrap Willow in her arms, wiping a few beads of sweat from her lover's forehead. They rested for a few minutes so the hacker could catch her breath. Tara watched intently as the heaving of the redhead's breath slowed to it's normal pace. Willow turned to face her lover, both set of eyes flooded with sleep. Tara leaned in to kiss her love with incredible softness. "'Night Sweetheart."  
  
Willow returned the kiss, sweet and innocent, savoring the blonde's full lips. "I love you, Tare."  
  
"I love you too, Will."  
  
The two women let their eyelids fall over their eyes, thick and glazed with sleep. They were able to doze for a few moments before an abrupt knock at their bedroom door awakened them. The blonde and redhead scrambled to cover their naked bodies. The wooden door cracked open and a small platinum blonde head popped in three or so feet from the ground.  
  
"Mummy?" The small girl's voice was high-pitched with fright. "I heard loud noises, are you okay?" She walked slowly into the room, making a beeline for the bed where her mothers sat. Willow stood, abandoning the sheet she was using as cover, and walked to her daughter whose gray eyes were so wide with fear that they closely resembled the huge pale moon that was hanging in the chilly air outside the open window.  
  
Tara smiled, remaining on the bed, "Its okay Darling, it was just your imagination."  
  
The child's face lit up and she forgot all about the 'loud noises' when her redheaded mother lifted her into a warm embrace. She let herself be carried onto the bed where she scrambled to sit in the blonde woman's lap.  
  
Willow's eyes, filled with love for her family, danced with glee at the sight of her girlfriend wrapping her arms around their four-year-old daughter who was settling down in her Mommy's lap. "Did Mommy show you the cake she made to bring to school tomorrow?"  
  
The little girl waggled her head 'yes' in excitement. "It's got candles and evwyfing!"  
  
Tara smiled at her child's delight and the grin that was stuck to her face like duct tape as she Willow-babbled to her Mom in the baby voice she had yet to outgrow, describing every last detail of the cake Tara had prepared. Willow listened patiently to her child's informative rant, although she had already examined the cake earlier that day. The blonde looked down at the petite girl in her arms, yes, her baby was growing up so fast. "You'll be all grown up soon." Tara's eyes grew misty at the thought of her child's fifth birthday, September twenty-third, which happened to be the next day.  
  
Willow wrapped an arm around her girlfriend's shoulder when she saw Tara's far off look, "Yup, you're growing all speedy-like."  
  
The lovers' child squirmed in her Mommy's grasp, uncomfortable in the silence that had fallen over her mothers. "Can I stay wif you tonight? 'Cuz it's my birfday?"  
  
The blonde and redhead glanced at each other; they had been informed about what happened when parents let their children sleep with them. A glance at their child's hope filled gray eyes was all the two needed to come to a conclusion.  
  
"Just for tonight, because it's your birthday tomorrow, but this is the last time." Tara removed the girl from her lap and set her face-up on the sheets, tucking a blanket over her and kissing the child's milky forehead.  
  
Willow nodded her head and stole a kiss from her daughter. Standing, she grabbed two sets of pajamas from the top drawer of their oak dresser; and, motioning for Tara to follow her, walked into the bathroom.  
  
The blonde wandered into the darkened room where the hacker hand lain out a tank top and boxers for her. She wrapped her arms around her lover and stared at their reflection in the mirror. Her body, damp with sweat, shined back in her love's eyes; Willow saw herself, with toothpaste dribbled down her nightshirt and foam around her mouth, in Tara's. The women met gazes in the mirror, loving smiles gracing their faces.  
  
"I wuv you, Baby." Though her mouth was filled with toothpaste and toothbrush, Tara understood Willow perfectly.  
  
"I wuv you too, Sweetheart." The blonde puffed out her cheeks and slurred her speech in a loving impression.  
  
They fell into a comfortable silence just the Wiccan, hacker, the peaceful closeness of their bodies, and the soft buzz of the bathroom lights. 


	2. Party!

Willow jogged into Wolfcreek Elementary School and raced to find her daughter's class. Finding the door, she paused to catch her breath. The hacker poked her head into the room and looked around, it had changed since her last visit, for the room was now covered in new pictures that the eight students had drawn. The class was sitting cross-legged in front of a young woman, whom Willow had never seen before, as she read from a thin paperback. Glancing around, emerald orbs found the back of Tara's head. She tiptoed into the room, carefully, so as not to draw the children's eyes away from the 'See Spot Run' book and the woman who was reading and flashing pictures.  
  
Tara whipped around when she felt her lover's presence. "You're late." The blonde whispered from her seat at one of the undersized desks.  
  
"There was an accident, some people felt the need to look rather than drive. Traffic was hell, sorry Baby." Willow found her perch on the desk beside Tara, to whom she gave an apologetic peck.  
  
Tara's frowning brow disappeared and a smile graced her face. The bustling of the eight kindergarteners jarred the women from their reverie.  
  
Grace clambered onto her Mommy's lap, followed by a swarm of children that also wanted to sit on she and Willow's laps.  
  
The young brunette that had been positioned at the cushy couch in the corner, the one who had been reading, extended a hand to Willow. "I'm Wendy, the new aid, Mrs. Grojean will be here soon, she's running a little late."  
  
"I'm Willow, Grace's mom. You've already met Tara?" Willow shook Wendy's outstretched hand and looked to her lover, who smiled and nodded.  
  
A chunky boy's voice broke over the roar of screaming children, "When's the party startin'?"  
  
Tara smiled kindly and lifted Grace from her lap to put her amongst a group of giggling girls. "Right now Billy," The blonde walked to the front table, where the cake she had baked had been set up, along with plates, forks, napkins, and all they would need to have a birthday party. Taking a dull knife, the sharpest they would allow, she cut the cake in half, and then into quarters, and then into eighths. The children watched in open- mouthed awe, as the feast was prepared; cake pieces put on plates, little scoops of ice cream too.  
  
As soon as every kid had their plates, the party began. There was music coming from a small boom box, games, and dancing. It was a hit! To celebrate their daughter's birthday, Willow and Tara had a rockin' party. Minus the drugs and alcohol! 


	3. The Bond Between 'Sitter and 'Sittee

"Thanks for watching after Gracie tonight Spike, Tara and I hardly get time alone anymore." Willow grabbed her keys from the hook by the door, "Com' on Tare!"  
  
"Coming!" Tara came jogging down the stairs, purse in hand. She stopped at the door where Willow, Spike, and Grace, were all standing. Bending down to kiss her daughter, Tara whispered in her ear, "Be good for your Uncle Spike."  
  
"I will Mommy." Grace smiled, her grin lit up her face much as the sun did each morning in Sunnydale and all around the world.  
  
Tara stood and whispered her thanks to Spike as she and Willow headed out the door.  
  
Spike locked the door behind the lovers, and turned to Grace. "So Luv, what do you fancy we do for the three hours we have 'till your bedtime?"  
  
"Will you wead to me? Pwease Uncle Spike, wead me a stowy. Tew me how you kiwd people!"  
  
"Heh, as much as I'd love to, you mums would butcher me alive if they found out I'd been brainwashin' you with crazy stories." Spike looked around, "Now, com' on then, let's get some food, I'm starved." The vamp led Grace by the hand into the kitchen, where he opened the refrigerator and pulled out a pack of blood and two pieces of birthday cake.  
  
When all the food was prepared, the pair sat on the couch watching Passions. Spike attempted to explain what was happening with the frozen Charity, it was not going well. "So you see, Timmy, he's the little boy, is trying to unfreeze her.Oh, bugger this, you'll never understand." Spike heaved a sigh and took a sip from his blood-filled coffee mug.  
  
"Get to bed Luv." Spike ushered Grace into her bedroom, "You be good now, ya hear? No foolin' around. Your mums will be home in a while, and you'd best be asleep when they arrive."  
  
"Uncle Spike! Pwease wet me stay up a wittle later!" Grace protested all the way up the stairs and into her room, "They won't know if you wet me stay up, I won't tewl them, I promwis." The small girl did a 'cross my heart' motion. "Cwoss my heawt and hope to dwy."  
  
"Oh don't joke around about dying Pet. Very serious business, dying is." Spike hoisted Grace onto his shoulders and walked her to the bed that resided in the corner of the small child's room. "Very serious indeed." He flopped her down onto the mattress and covered her with the cloth blanket that was bundled up on the floor. The bleach blonde vamp pecked the child's forehead and walked to the door, turning the light off and shutting the door behind him. Spike walked down the hall, unaware of the danger lurking right outside Grace's window. 


	4. Morning at the Happy Home

As Grace slept peacefully in her bed, curled in a ball under the blanket, hugging her knees to her chest, a hairy-faced man knelt outside her window, staring intently at her sleeping breath.  
  
"Yo, Jack, is that her?" The unshaven man turned to another, rather hairy, man.  
  
Jack looked over his partner's shoulder and into the room. From their position on the roof they had a clear view of the interior of the five-year- old's bedroom, covered in stuffed animals and posters of fluffy kittens and the like, but strangely, none of bunnies... "Yeah, that's her."  
  
"When do we bag her?" Mark, hairy-man #1, rocked back on his heels to give Jack a better view.  
  
"When the boss says to. Let's get out of here." Jack crawled to the edge of the roof and leapt gracefully to the ground. Mark at his side, though a little less slick and a little clumsier.  
  
"Why don't you stay here today, until sundown?" Tara called into the living room from her place at the stove where she was cooking up a batch of funny-shapes and rounds. "We don't want you to fry on the way home."  
  
Spike walked into the kitchen, where all the blinds were drawn to accommodate him. "Yeah, sure, thanks." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out a packet of blood, biting into it, the vamp found a spot at the table next to Grace. The child was drinking her orange-juice and playing with a Superman action-figure.  
  
Willow made her way into the kitchen, newspaper in hand, and stopped to kiss her lover. "Hey Baby. Oooo funny-shapes! Two for me please, thank ya Baby." The redhead plopped on one of the four chairs surrounding the table and unfolded the paper. She handed Spike the front page, put the funnies at Tara's place, and took the business page for herself.  
  
Tara put the pancakes on the table and took Spike's mug from him, putting it in the microwave. 'Welcoming' his 'Thanks' and handing it back to him.  
  
"98, damn woman, you're good." Spike took an appreciative sip and ignored the piercing glare Willow gave him.  
  
"Spike, please, Grace is here." Tara's chiding was more peaceful and calmer then Willow's.  
  
"See that, all you needed was a little courtesy." Spike smirked at Willow and turned his attention Grace. "Don't say 'damn.' Ok, Pet? Good."  
  
Tara smiled and cut a pancake into fourths for Grace, putting the plate in front of her and taking the toy out of her hand. "You can have him back after your done."  
  
There were two knocks at the door, it opened, and Xander made his way into the house. "Have no fear, the butch man is-" Xander noticed Spike and paused, "already here I see. Oooo pancakes! Anya and Buffy are outside talking to your neighbors, something about a disturbance. I'd bet it was him." Xander pointed an accusing finger at Spike and got himself a plate from the counter, putting three pancakes on it and smothering them in syrup.  
  
"It was not me you prick! I didn't do a bloody thing I wasn't supposed to! Grace's alive isn't she?" Spike waved his fork around and threatened to gouged Xander's heart out with it.  
  
Willow argued with Grace, who was intent on getting her Superman action- figure from her Mom.  
  
Anya and Buffy were bickering in the driveway.  
  
Tara smiled and sighed; it was another morning at the happy home. 


	5. Pending Discovery

"Who could it of been?" Spike narrowed his eyes and thought back to anyone who may have been looking suspicious.  
  
Buffy, Anya, Spike, and Xander sat around the kitchen table discussing the neighbor's suspicion. Willow had jumped up to comfort Tara who had ran out of the room after hearing that men were seen staring in her baby's window. Dawn, who had recently arrived, had ushered the platinum blonde child upstairs with promises of playing with Superman.  
  
"They said it was a guy, about four foot, that's it, it was to dark for them to see anymore." Buffy took a bite from the pancake on her plate.  
  
"And they didn't call the cops, don't you usually call the cops when something like this happens?" Anya looked unsettlingly back and forth between her tablemates.  
  
Xander rubbed his wife's arm. "Yeah, Hon, it is, but I'm sure there's a reason."  
  
"It can't be that good, that is, if they even have one. Who wouldn't call the cops with a creepy guy climbing around on roofs?" Buffy took another bite and a sip of her milk, "I'll watch over the house tonight, I'll see if they come back."  
  
That night, as Buffy watched over the house, Mark and Jack sat silently among the bushes. Mark shook his head, glancing up at the slayer who was sitting right inside Grace's window, "Nuh uh, no way, I'm not going up there."  
  
"I didn't plan on it, that's the slayer, if we go up there, she'll kill us, the boss won't be pleased. We have to find a way to get her down, the time is nearing, and the boss will need the child soon. Once he has her, and the spell is complete, Sunnydale will be ours for the taking!" Jack looked up at the blonde in the window and whispered under his breath, "Say goodbye Slayer."  
  
The two hairy-men let out evil cackles; Mark's was not at all impressive, Jack's however, could have made even the Slayer quiver. 


End file.
